Robin Williams Had a Really Dope Bike Collection, and It's Up for Auction

A rare lot from an even rarer man

By Shari Gab

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17 October 2016

It wasn’t until five years after I first laid eyes on a De Rosa bicycle that I came across the opportunity to acquire one.

I was a college student at the time, and De Rosas were better priced for people who weren't eating ramen for three square meals. But I happened upon a Craigslist posting, live just 15 minutes at the time, that read “De Rosa. First Owner. Must sell fast.”

It was everything I had been waiting for.

A couple hours later, I was exiting the ferry to the East Bay with my new ride in hand when an outlandishly kitted-out rider on a (much nicer) De Rosa accosted me. “Nice bike. Wanna race?”

I might not have a had a loot at the time, but riding a minimum of 40 miles a day up, down and around SF’s hills had rendered me a humanlike structure of flesh, steel and long blonde hair. Of course I wanted to race. And so, without thinking twice, I bolted, leaving my spandex-clad competitor in the dust.

A few miles later, I pulled up to a small local, shop and happened across the same De Rosa. What I hadn’t expected was to find Robin Williams atop it. “Hey,” I said, “We were racing for pinks, right?” He just buckled his helmet and laughed. “You wish,” he said as he pulled away.

And though this was a wonderful and memorable day in more ways than one for me, it was not an uncommon one: Robin Williams, a legend who made the world laugh and cry for ages, was also a superior biker and enthusiastic collector. He supported local shops and ardently defended cyclist’s rights and physically disabled riders.

The collection is almost as colorful and multifaceted as the comedian himself: there's a Velotron training bike. A Schwinn Pea Picker. A Kestrel 4000. A mind-blowing Zipp racer.

But perhaps no words commemorate the collection better than a few from Williams himself, who, before embarking upon a 56-mile race, was casually asked by a reporter how he would feel after completing the race.

“How will I be feeling?” he replied. “Thanks for asking! One thing I know for sure…there will be a river of sweat flowing down the crack of my ass the size of Niagara Falls …..oh, is this live TV?”